Arrow for crossbow

ABSTRACT

The crossbow arrow includes an arrow shaft having a head portion at one end and a tail portion at the other end and at least two wing members protruding beyond the transverse dimensions of the arrow shaft and extending substantially between the head portion and the tail portion. The wing members are made of a rigid and hard material and simultaneously perform the function of feathering for stabilizing the arrow in flight and the function of cutting blades for increasing destructive ability of the arrow. The technical effect is reduction in the number of parts used, reduction in a total weight of the arrow, increase of the construction rigidity, improvement of aerodynamic properties and destructive ability of the arrow.

RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to arrows for a crossbow, in particular to thosefor a reverse crossbow.

2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.

Arrows for crossbows are commonly known that include an arrow shaftmember, an arrow head portion, an arrow tail portion and a plurality ofwing members. A length or a lengthwise dimension of the arrow headportion and tail portion are significantly less than that of the arrowshaft member. The wing members are a set of flexible feathers mountednear the tail portion, which lengthwise dimension is also significantlyless than that of the arrow shaft member. The head portion may comprisecutting protruding parts that, similarly to the wing members, protrudebeyond the transverse dimensions of the arrow shaft member, as is shown,e.g., in FIG. 1 to the US patent application No. 2006183579 (publishedon Aug. 17, 2006; IPC F42B 6/06). In order to increase the destructiveability, the arrow is provided with a removable head portion with aplurality of protruding parts, as described, e.g., in US patentapplication No. 2008254925 (published on Oct. 16, 2008; IPC F42B 6/08).

Conventional crossbows are characterized by the fact that the riser towhich flexible members are attached is located at the front end of thecrossbow stock. If an arrow length is less than that of the crossbowstock, an arrow may slide out from the crossbow stock during shooting,hit the riser and bounce back to the crossbowman. For the purpose ofprecluding such a situation, arrows are used for shooting which lengthis greater than that of the crossbow stock, so the head portion of anarrow mounted onto a crossbow is ahead of the riser with the limbs, asis shown in FIG. 1 of US patent application No. 2013312724 (published onNov. 28, 2013; IPC F41B 5/12).

A reverse crossbow disclosed, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 7,938,108(published on 13.05.2010; IPC F41B 5/12) comprises a riser with thelimbs thereon that are arranged in such a way that no obstacles existfor an arrow moving along the crossbow stock during shooting. Thisenables to safely use short arrows having much lesser dimensions, whichare more convenient for storage, carrying and use. In particular, U.S.Pat. No. 4,392,654 (published on Jul. 12, 1983; IPC F42B 6/02, F42B6/06) discloses a short arrow having flexible wing members extendingsubstantially along the arrow from its head portion to tail portion.However, a significant drawback of this arrow is its low destructiveability.

As the prototype for this invention the arrow according to U.S. Pat. No.7,935,012 (published on Oct. 29, 2009; IPC F42B 6/08) is selected. Theprototype arrow comprises the arrow shaft with wing members in the tailportion and a removable head portion. The removable head portion isprovided with cutting protruding parts for the purpose of increasing thearrow destructive ability.

Drawbacks of the prototype that result from its construction andmaterials used are: a great number of parts protruding beyond thedimensions of the arrow shaft, namely, the cutting protruding parts inthe arrowhead and the wing members in the tail portion of the arrow, allof them impairing aerodynamic properties of the arrow; relatively lowdestructive ability due to the arrangement of the cutting parts in thearrowhead and their small length; a high cost and complexity of makingthese parts; a possibility of damaging and deforming the flexible wingmembers during storage, carrying and use; and the fact that a greatlength of a thin-wall hollow arrow shaft reduces the strength of thearrow construction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is aimed at eliminating drawbacks of knownsolutions and, in particular, of the prototype according to U.S. Pat.No. 7,935,012, while ensuring high destructive ability, good aerodynamicproperties, high strength and, at the same time, a compact constructionof the claimed arrow for a crossbow.

The objective of the invention is solved due to the fact that theclaimed crossbow arrow comprises an arrow shaft which length ispreferably less than a working stroke value of a reverse crossbow, andthat may have any shape in its section, but, preferably, a round one.The arrow has a head portion of any shape at its one end, which may beboth separable and non-separable from the arrow shaft, and a tailportion of any shape at its other end, which may be both separable andnon-separable from the arrow shaft. The arrow also comprises at leasttwo wing members protruding beyond the transverse dimensions of thearrow shaft and extending substantially between the head portion and thetail portion.

The wing members are made of a rigid and hard material in order they maysimultaneously perform the function of wings as such, i.e., stabilizethe arrow during flight, and the function of cutting blades forincreasing the arrow destructive ability. The wing members may beprovided with holes and/or a cavity of any shape in order to reduceweight, improve balance and improve aerodynamic properties of the wingmember and the arrow itself.

According to one preferable embodiment of the invention, the wing membercomprises at least one region located near the head portion andexpanding from the arrow shaft, and at least one region located near thetail portion and narrowing to the arrow shaft. In particular, the wingmember may have a trigonal shape with an obtuse angle between thelateral side of the expanding region and the lateral side of thenarrowing region, or a polygonal shape with more than two lateral sides,or with a lateral side shape combining straight and curved lines, orwith a lateral side shape corresponding to a curved line. Furthermore,at least one of the lateral edges of the wing member may have a sharpcutting edge that, in its turn, may be made as a straight line, or abroken line, or a line comprising straight and curved regions.

According to some preferable embodiments of the invention, the wingmember may have various shapes at its base adjoining the arrow shaft:namely, a rectangular shape, or a rectangular shape with leveledcorners, or a rhomb-like shape, or a pentagonal shape with rectangularand triangular regions.

The technical effect of the claimed invention consists in reducing anumber of parts used, decreasing an arrow total weight due to a reducedlength of the arrow shaft and an area of the wing members, as well as inincreasing the structural rigidity of both the arrow itself and the wingmembers, and improving its aerodynamic properties.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Hereinafter, the invention will be explained in more detail withreference to the accompanying drawings showing some embodiments of thecrossbow arrow according to the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of one embodiment of the crossbow arrowhaving wing members of trigonal shape.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of another embodiment of the crossbowarrow having wing members of a trigonal shape that are provided withholes.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of yet another embodiment of the crossbowarrow having wing members of a polygonal shape.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of still another embodiment of thecrossbow arrow having wing members of a polygonal shape that areprovided with holes.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of yet another embodiment of the crossbowarrow having wing members which shape comprises straight and curvedlines.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of still another embodiment of thecrossbow arrow having wing members which shape is characterized by acurved line.

FIG. 7 shows a scaled-up top plan view of the wing member having therectangular base.

FIG. 8 shows a scaled-up top plan view of the wing member having therhomb-shaped base.

FIG. 9 shows a scaled-up top plan view of the wing member having thebase of a pentagonal shape comprising a rectangular region and atriangular region.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

As is shown in FIG. 1, the crossbow arrow comprises the arrow shaft (1)having a substantially elongated shape with the head portion (2) and thetail portion (3), and at least two wing members (4) protruding beyondthe transverse dimensions of the arrow shaft (1). The wing members (4)extend between the head portion (2) to the tail portion (3).

The arrow head portion (2) may be made in any shape, e.g., a bluntedshape as shown, in particular, in FIG. 1, or a sharpened shape as shownin FIGS. 2 and 5.

The wing members (4) are made of a rigid and hard material withproperties significantly exceeding hardness of a bone tissue of ananimal, e.g., of a metal, metal alloy, metal ceramics, compositematerial or any other material comparable, as to its hardness andrigidity, to the said materials, and perform two functionssimultaneously. First, the wing members (4) are intended for stabilizingthe arrow in flight, i.e., perform the function of feathering. Second,the wing members (4) are intended for increasing the destructive abilityof the arrow, i.e., perform the function of cutting blades.

The fulfillment of the two said functions is possible only in the casewhere the wing members (4) are made of a rigid and hard material. If thewing members made of a flexible material, e.g., rubber or plastic, areused, then the wing members may not fulfill at least the function ofcutting blades, and it will require the use of additional arrow members,such as an arrowhead with protruding cutting parts known in the state ofthe art. Also, it is not advisable to use hard, but brittle materialsfor making the wing member, because such wing members will have lowdestructive ability when hitting a target and may be damaged duringcarrying and storage.

Thus, if the wing members (4) are made of a material that is hard andrigid at the same time, then the arrow construction will be simplifiedsignificantly, its dimensions may be reduced, its destructive abilitywill be improved, and rigidity of the arrow shaft will be increased.

The wing members (4) may have any shape, but it is preferable that thewing member (4) comprises at least one region located near the arrowhead portion (2) and expanding from the arrow shaft, i.e., the region(5), and at least one region located near the tail portion and narrowingtoward the arrow shaft (1), i.e., the region (6), as are shown inFIG. 1. This embodiment of the wing members (4) provide them with higherrigidity and improves the arrow destructive ability.

According to one particular embodiment of the invention, the wing member(4) has a trigonal shape, an angle (7) between the regions (5) and (6)being obtuse, i.e., its value being more than 90°. In this case therigidity of the wing member is increased.

The angle (7) may be moved toward the head portion (2), as shown in FIG.1, or toward the tail portion (3), as shown in FIG. 2, or beapproximately in the middle point of the arrow shaft (1) (not shown); inthis way the position of the arrow center of gravity may be regulated,thus imparting definite aerodynamic properties to the arrow. Inaddition, the wing member (4) may be provided with a hole (8) that alsoenables to regulate the arrow center of gravity and its total weight,depending on the position of the hole (8) and its dimensions. Ifnecessary, the wing member (4) may be provided with several holes (8)(not shown).

The length of the wing member (4) may be equal to a part of that of thearrow shaft (1), as is shown in FIG. 1. As an alternative, the length ofthe wing member (4) may be comparable to that of the arrow shaft (1),i.e., extend substantially from the head portion (2) to the tail portion(3), as is shown in FIG. 2. By varying the length of the wing member (4)it is possible to change the arrow aerodynamic properties, rigidity ofthe arrow itself as well as the destructive ability of the arrow. Thus,the longer the wing member (4) is, the more stable is the arrow inflight, the higher is its flexural rigidity, and, when it hits a target,the higher is the probability that a part of the wing member (4) willremain outside, not allowing the target material (substance) to close inaround the arrow shaft (1).

According to another embodiment of the invention, the wing member (4)has a polygonal shape, as is shown in FIG. 3. Apart from the regions (5)and (6), the wing member has additional intermediate regions (9) and(10), but the region (5) that is the nearest to the head portion (2) isstill expanding from the arrow shaft (1), and the region (6) that isnearest to the tail region (3) is still narrowing to the arrow shaft(1).

These additional intermediate regions of the arrow wing member (4) arenot necessarily inclined toward the arrow shaft (1). For example, FIG. 4shows the arrow according to this invention, wherein one additionalintermediate region (11), which is substantially parallel to the arrowshaft (1), is located between the regions (5) and (6). Similarly to theembodiment shown in FIG. 2, the embodiment of the wing member (4) inaccordance with FIG. 4 is provided with a hole (8).

The hole (8) in the wing member (4), as is shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, mayhave any shape, i.e., round, elongated, polygonal, etc. It may occupy asignificant portion of the area of the wing member (4), or its smallportion or fraction. It may be a single hole or represent several holesmade in each of the wing members (4).

According to still another embodiment of the invention, the wing member(4) has a shape comprising a curved line. The curved line may comprise,for example, a straight region and a curvilinear region, as is shown inFIG. 5, and may be a single smoothly curved line, as is shown in FIG. 6.Irrespective of its shape, the wing member (4) may be characterized bythe presence of an expanding region (5) and a narrowing region (6).

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the embodimentsof the wing member (4) that are shown in FIGS. 3-6 maintain all theabove-said advantages relating to the wing member (4) having a trigonalshape, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2.

Also, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a sectionof the wing member may have a curved shape for the purpose of impartingrotational motion to the arrow during its flight.

The base of the wing member (4) may have various shapes also; itsseveral embodiments are shown in FIGS. 7-9, where scaled-up top view ofthe wing member (4) are presented.

According to the simplest embodiment, the base of the wing member (4)has a rectangular shape, as shown in FIG. 7. The base of the wing member(4) may be made both with squared corners (FIG. 7), and with roundedcorners (not shown).

Other possible shapes of the base of the wing member (4) are: arhomb-like shape (FIG. 8) or a pentagonal shape with a rectangularregion and a trigonal region (FIG. 9).

The shape of the base of the wing member (4) has an effect on rigidityof the wing member (4) and the construction of the arrow itself, as wellas may define the shape of the wing member edge and, consequently, havean effect on the arrow destructive ability. In particular, in order toimprove the arrow destructive ability, the wing member (4) may beprovided with a cutting edge.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the presence of a cuttingedge may be characteristic for the region (5) that expands from the headportion (2). This embodiment is shown in FIG. 9 where only the region(5) is provided with a cutting edge (12).

According to another embodiment of the invention, a cutting edge may belocated both at the region (5), and at the region (6), as is shown inFIG. 8 where these edges are designated as (12) and (13), respectively.

Cutting edges may be present at all the regions of the wing member (4)or only on some of them, irrespective of the number of such regions andtheir shapes. The cutting edges may be sharpened similarly to variantsof sharpening applicable to modern knives.

The claimed arrow for a crossbow and its embodiments enable to achieveseveral objectives, namely: reduce the number of the parts used due tocombining two parts, i.e., cutting blades and feathering, into one wingmember, increase the arrow rigidity due to the use of rigid and hardmaterials for making the wing members, improve the arrow destructiveability due to an increased length of the wing member, improve the arrowaerodynamic properties, and ensure convenient storage, use and carryingof the arrow due to a significant reduction of the arrow length.

1. A crossbow arrow, comprising: an arrow shaft having a shapesubstantially elongated in the a longitudinal direction, said arrowshaft comprising a head portion at one end and a tail portion at anotherend; and at least two wing members protruding beyond transversedimensions of said arrow shaft and extending substantially from the headportion to the tail portion; wherein the wing members are comprised of arigid and hard material and simultaneously perform the function offeathering for stabilizing arrow in flight and the function of cuttingblades for increasing the arrow destructive ability.
 2. The arrowaccording to claim 1, wherein each wing member comprises, in thedirection from the head portion to the tail portion, at least one regionexpanding from arrow shaft and at least one region narrowing to arrowshaft.
 3. The arrow according to claim 2, wherein each wing member ismade trigonal, with an obtuse angle between the lateral side of theexpanding region and the lateral side of the narrowing region, orpolygonal with more than two lateral sides, or with a shape of thelateral sides, which combines straight and curved lines, or with a shapeof the lateral sides in the form of a curved line.
 4. The arrowaccording to claim 3, wherein at least one of the lateral sides of thewing member has a sharp cutting edge.
 5. The arrow according to claim 4,the wherein said sharp cutting edge is made as a straight line, or abroken line, or a line combining straight regions and curved regions. 6.The arrow according to claim 1, the wherein a base of the wing memberhas a rectangular shape, or a rectangular shape with leveled corners, ora rhomb-like shape, or a pentagonal shape with a rectangular region anda triangular region.